Springbok captain Jean de Villiers’s Rugby World Cup dream hangs on a thread after he was sent to hospital to get X-rays for a suspected broken jaw on Saturday night.
De Villiers left the field after getting a knock to the jaw in South Africa’s 46-6 win over Samoa at Villa Park in Birmingham and could see his dream torn to shreds if the results are not good.
De Villiers has fought injury and form to get to the World Cup, and has been under severe pressure in the last week after leading the side to the shock defeat against Japan.
But on Saturday he was a lot better as the Boks bounced back in excellent style to record a comprehensive six-try victory over the Samoans.
De Villiers isn’t the only injury concern, as coach Heyneke Meyer talked about “five or six” players nursing injuries, and two of those are both the other midfielders in the team – Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.
De Allende limped off the field in the second half while Kriel had a nasty gash to the face that left him bloodied. Both will be looked at on Sunday before a decision is made.
“Jean is going for X-rays,” Meyer said after the game.
"It is the other side of his jaw that is hurt. We will have to wait and see. I just hope and pray that he is right.
“There is a long list of injuries and we will release it as soon as the Doc has had a look at it.”
If De Villiers is out, it will end a rotten run of luck for the captain, who hasn’t finished a World Cup in his career and has fought his way back from a broken jaw and torn knee ligaments to make it to this tournament.
There are cynics out there that may say it may solve a conundrum for Meyer, who has to decide ahead of the crunch game against Scotland in Newcastle next week on what midfield combination he will pick.
De Villiers was on notice before the game after the Japan disgrace, and responded well along with his teammates, but an injury now would be a terrible end to a wonderful Bok career.
Meyer said the team were relieved at beating the Samoans, but the big challenge was to repeat the feat in seven days' time against Scotland.
“There is no time to enjoy it,” Meyer said. “The players probably will. We have to bring the same intensity, the same desire to play for our country.
“There may not have been a lot of people who backed us but there were those who did and it was amazing leaving the hotel and seeing the people outside believing in us.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground. There really are a lot of injuries.
“Scotland will be tough and there is just relief in our camp at the moment.”
Meyer said while it lifted some of the pressure on the Boks, it simply wasn’t good enough to think this had redeemed the squad.
But there were elements of the game that he was proud of, including the fact that the team had not conceded a try on the day.
“It is not good enough to have one performance like that. I’m the proudest of the fact that we scored six tries and I’m proud of our defence, not to concede a try to Samoa was something. We stuck to the right game plan, and they couldn’t get go-forward ball.
“I’m proud that the players put their bodies on the line and that’s why we have a few injuries. We need to do that week after week.
“I’m proudest of the defence, to keep Samoa out shows that the guys really listened, and put their bodies on the line. It was very physical out there.
“There was a lot of criticism on the team and to come out like that makes me proud.”
The Boks will move to Newcastle – which is on the border of Scotland – for the next game against the northern most Home Union next weekend.
It all still hangs in the balance too many injuries could scuttle us particularly if all our centers are injured.
